


One Winters Day

by MizUnderstood2136



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Satinalia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 10:05:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13164675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MizUnderstood2136/pseuds/MizUnderstood2136
Summary: Aurelia is apprehensive about their first Satinalia celebration. Things are quiet in Skyhold, and she wants it to be special. For several reasons.





	One Winters Day

I had ordered my throne removed from the main hall. Josephine was aghast, Varric was thrilled. Cullen was on the fence, because on the one hand, he didn’t have to move it, but on the other, where would his pregnant wife hold court?

I was overseeing the decorating of the keep for Satinalia. I rubbed a hand over my stomach, excitement thrumming through my body. Cullen was out on maneuvers today, training a new group of recruits. And since I was keep-bound, this was an excellent way to pass my time. Better than worrying.

Varric called out from the main doors, “Inquisitor! The tree is here!”

I squealed and walked to the door, watching the 8 men carry the massive tree up the stairs. I led them through the hall to the dais. There was already a stand up there, 6 massive planks of wood all notched together with a hole in the center, filled with pegs to hold the tree up. It was really an ingenious design, and one I hoped would work well. The tree was at least 50 hands high, and full and lush. The heady scent of the pine was amazing. Last year we hadn’t had much of a mind to celebrate, as we had been in the thick of the war. But this year? Things were peaceful for the time being, and this was the perfect place to hold the celebration.   
My father was still here, and Cassandra was coming back to visit for a few days, and I had managed to gather everyone inside one keep again. This was going to be a Satinalia to remember.

**_____**

 

“This is a DISASTER!” I hissed at Varric. He just coughed and looked away from me. I smacked his shoulder, “This is your fault, you know! YOU wanted to surprise Cassandra, and now I have three HUNDRED books sitting around my keep! Varric!” I yelled as he tried to hastily exit the rotunda. He stopped, hunching his shoulders, “The publisher may have read my letter wrong, Inquisitor. I asked for thirty books, not three hundred. And keep your voice down, I don’t want all of Ferelden hearing about this.”   
I glared at him, then at the stacked crates filling the rotunda. “Fix this, Varric,” I said, before turning on my heel and slowly leaving the tower. I walked to the tree, sighing as I took it all in, trying to calm myself. We had decorated it with ribbons and strings of beads, bunches of twigs and magically preserved flowers. Tied bows to branch ends, and hung decorative glass balls all over it. At the top was an enchanted star that glowed a gorgeous blue. All in all, it was my first real winter solstice celebration, and I was excited. I had gotten a few gifts for Cullen, surprises I hoped he would enjoy thoroughly. I had even had special things brought in for all of my family, that family I had grown to love so very much.   
A box of sweet syrups for Dorian and Bull, along with a box of sweet cakes for Bull and an official recording of the his family tree and mine, to where they converge for Dorian. He had been fascinated when we had learned we were related. I had gotten Varric a deck of cards with Bianca painted on the backs. And apparently storage space for 300 books. I had gotten Cassandra all of Varric’s books, first editions, and had made him sit there signing them all for her. For Leliana, I got a nug statue commissioned. Made to look like her precious Schmooples.   
Josephine was getting a fancy Orlesian satin house robe, complete with slippers. It was exquisite, and the rusty golden color was perfect for her beautiful skin tone. I had a new hat made for Cole, with little protection runes etched into the brim. Vivienne was getting an ancient magical staff I had found in a little shop in Val Royeaux. It was gorgeous and persnickety, but I had a feeling she would love it. Blackwall was getting a horn made from a dragon’s horn. Inlaid with the Grey Warden oath. He had decided to join the Grey Wardens to atone for his actions. I could do no more than support him as he had us.   
For Sera, it was harder to figure her out than most. She baked already excellent cookies. And she had been sneaking off with Dagna for weeks. And so I had a special bow made for her. One that she could use her tempest concoctions with.

And Cullen. What did you get for a man who had nearly everything?  
He had a home, a giant drafty one filled with an odd mixture of people.

He had a job, still commanding my forces.

He had friends, a whole slew of them thanks to the Inquisition and insistent people.

His family was back in his life, thanks to an insistent wife.   
He was going to be a father. A brilliant and great father. Full of love and a quiet dignity.

He was an amazing husband. Attentive and passionate and loving and kind.   
He had 2 dogs that thought the world of him. We had 2 dogs. But they loved him as much as myself.

He had an arsenal within arms reach at any given time, state of the art armor, and an endless supply of clothes thanks to the ever gracious Josephine.

So what was left?  
Me. And what… Rather the “who” I carried.

I took a breath and looked around the hall. People were busy decorating and cleaning and in general enjoying themselves. The constant drone of voices and noises was reassuring. I went up to our room and retrieved the box I had hidden away in the bottom drawer of my desk. Inside said box was a stack of letters. Inside each letter was some mushy thing. I took them down to Leliana, who gave instructions to each of her scouts that she had gathered for me.   
I went back to our room and changed into the winter dress the ladies had helped me pick out for our celebrations. A light silvery blue, with white and silver accents and ribbons, that draped gracefully over my stomach and kept me warm in the winter cold. I pulled on the gray furred boots, and after braiding half of my hair, I pulled on the white and silver furred cloak they had insisted I get myself. I grabbed my warm gloves and left the tower. I was just making my way out the front door when Cullen and his troops returned. He sent them off to change and rest, and when he spotted me up on the stairs, his entire face lit up. His cheeks were red from the cold, and there was frost on his cloak, but he looked entirely happy.   
He traipsed up the stairs, stopping a couple below me, keeping his lovely face even with mine. “Well, hello,” he said with a grin. I smiled back, “Hello yourself, Commander,” I replied. I leaned forward and kissed him softly. “I have something for you,” I said, grabbing his hand and pulling him inside. The doors opened as we approached, and a hush fell over the hall. I heard his breath hitch when he saw the hall, “Maker, how did you manage this in a few short hours?” he said under his breath. I laughed. I pulled him further into the hall, and walking backwards, watched his face as he tried to take it all in. The ribbons and candles, the berries and bows. “This is beautiful,” he said, his eyes falling back to me. I gave him a brilliant smile, pulling him the last few feet to the tree. On a branch right in front of his face, was a bright white envelope with his name on it. He raised an eyebrow as he reached out to pluck it from the tree. He flipped it open and started to read.

“Do you remember the day we met? The world was in chaos, terror ripe in the air. And there you stood outside the temple. This breath of fresh air, confident and strong, you were there helping your men defend against an open rift. And when I first saw your face, I didn’t see the same stressed horror on everyone else’s face, I saw quiet resolve. You were there, no matter the consequences.   
‘Maker watch over you - for all our sakes,’ that’s what you said to me as you turned to leave and help an injured comrade off the field. The first truly kind words I had heard in a long time. From a man who was obviously a Templar, former or otherwise. Right there, on that ravaged mountainside, I started to see with new eyes.   
I have left a trail of letters for you. In the various places of significance throughout our relationship. In order to appease the Spymaster, I will remain at the keep, safe and sound.

Your next stop is where we had our first real conversation in Skyhold.

Be safe, love,

Aurelia”

His voice trailed off as he finished reading. “What are you on about?” he asked me quietly. I stepped close to him, refastening his cloak and pulling his hood up.   
“Play along, you’ll see,” I answered, pulling him down for another kiss. When I pulled away, his eyebrow arched but he gave me a small salute before marching from the hall. I followed at my own pace, and when I exited the doors, he stood at the bottom of the courtyard, a scout handing him another envelope.   
I could almost hear it as he read silently.

  
“Ah, here you stood. In all your awkward brilliance, thrilled we were alive, pleased I had come to see you. Deigned to speak to you.   
Herald of Andraste.

Newly appointed Inquisitor Trevelyan.

Worrying about her Commander and how she was glad he had survived. The relief on your face was confusing. As were the butterflies that had taken up residence in my stomach every time you were near me. That quiet finality in your voice as you stated you would not allow what happened at Haven to happen again.   
And I knew, somewhere deep inside me, you were talking about me staying behind, not the attack from Corypheus.

Another link in the chain that bound me to you, inextricably.   
Perfectly.

Remember the stairs?”

 

He looked up at me then, walking back up the courtyard steps and slowly approaching me. He took my hand and pulled me along through the hall to the door that led to Josephine’s office. He opened it and pulled me down the stairs as he approached the envelope propped against the wall at the bottom. Picking it up, he began to read, aloud again

 

“I really thought I had killed you, when I found you laying at the bottom of the stairs in a heap of fur and leather. No sounds, no angry growls. Just a lump of Commander Cullen laying on the floor. When you moved, I almost died from the relief. And when you put your hand on my arm, allowing me to heal the wounds I had accidentally inflicted, I was lost to you.   
I saw things buried in your mind you didn’t even know were there. But on top of it all, I saw _you_. A brave and honorable man, who had faced countless obstacles and hardships in his short life, and overcome them with remarkable aplomb. That was far more intimate than I had intended, and I felt like I had stolen something from you. And you were barely the wiser for it. I lost a bit of myself that day, and found it when you followed me onto the ramparts.

Remember where?”

He looked at me then and without a word, grabbed my hand and led me back up the stairs and to the garden, up those stairs and out onto the battlements where he kissed me that first time. Before he picked up the envelope that was stuck between a couple bricks on the wall he pulled me close. “You've been busy,” he said, wrapping his arms around me. I nodded against his chest, revelling in the feel of his heartbeat beneath my ear. I looked up, “Read the next?” I asked. He nodded, but didn't move yet. He put a warm hand on my cheek and kissed me with a knowing smile.

He kept one arm around me while the other retrieved the envelope. He opened it behind my back and began to read.

“I was terrified that first time you kissed me. Elated, filled with wonder and sure the universe was playing some cruel joke on me. My life had never been full of the good and kind things and there you were, wrapped around me and kissing me like your very soul depended on the feel of me against you.” I could hear his heart speed up.

“You held me close, and your lips seared a path straight into my soul. That night? I became yours. No doubt in my mind. Or any other part of me. The relief in your eyes when the others saw us was as great as mine. There under the stars, you claimed me. As much as I did you.”

His voice faded and his arms tightened around me.

“You slay me,” he whispered. I just nodded. He continued reading.

“Later when you took me to bed, It all felt so right. Perfect in its simplicity, you made me whole. Remember where I first told you I loved you?”

He pulled away and kissed my forehead. We marched back through the keep and upstairs. On the balcony was a single small table, and an envelope on top of it. He kissed my hand then picked it up.

“We were standing on the balcony, barely wrapped in a blanket as you took me against the wall. The freedom of that act was mind boggling. I had never considered such things, sex on balconies, in stairwells, on quiet dark roofs. And we have done them all and more. But there on that balcony, my back against the wall, you deep inside me as I told you I loved you, you returning the same, was a moment I will never ever forget.” He stopped reading, his breath heavy as his dilated eyes looked at my face. I have him a brilliant smile and poked the paper.

He shook his head and read on. “Falling asleep that night felt different. New and bright and hopeful. Even in the midst of all the chaos, I had found myself the best anchor possible. Dorian awaits you in the courtyard. You're going to take a short trip to the next place. The last moment together before our world's forever changed, the Arbor Wilds. Trust me,” his voice was rough when he stopped reading.

“Really, you're making me leave after.. After that?”

“I asked you to trust me.”

“You know I do,” he mumbled.

“Then go to Dorian and see what is what.” He reluctantly nodded, and we walked back down to the hall. I sat at a decorated table as he went outside. I heard the whoosh of the magic and waited.

 

**Cullen -**

 

When the magic deposited them on the path leading into the now abandoned Temple to Mythal, Dorian handed him another envelope.

Cullen read it in silence.

“You stood there, resplendent in your armor, breath ragged and heavy. I walked by you, us both knowing full well that if I had stayed, spoken, you would have stopped me. I slipped into the temple and our world's changed forever. When I emerged I had the knowledge of the Well, ancient whispers that never really cease. You were so unsure of the ‘me' that ventured out of that mirror back at Skyhold. And when the voices gave me the power to fix your nightmares?

It was like a new lease on your life, and you chose to spend it with me. You'll never be fully aware of how much that still thrills me, to this day.

Forever, right?

Dorian has something else for you, love.”

He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “Dorian?” he asked. Dorian grinned and handed him a box. He unlatched the top and opened it. Inside was a bright gold key.

“What is this?” he mused.

“Well we have to go back to Skyhold to find out!” Dorian answered with a grin. He held out his hand and took Cullen's arm, and in a flash of purple smoke they were back in the main hall of Skyhold. Cullen shook his head trying to clear the magic. He looked around and found Aurelia standing by the door leading up to their room. She had taken off her cloak and the dress she was wearing took his breath away.

“Inquisitor,” he murmured as he approached her. She blushed and held out her hand.

 

**Aurelia -**

 

I held my breath as I led him up through the tower. At the top of the stairs to our room I handed him the second to last envelope. He sighed and opened it.

“Corypheus had been defeated. Solas had left. But we had won. For now. You made love to me on the balcony in our room, and it was there that I resolved that forever wasn't long enough. We made plans. For a future we hadn't much looked forward to. But now? We had all the time in the world. We created a life together. Outside the doom and gloom of constant war. Maybe we created more..”

He looked up at me. Confusion in his lovely eyes. I led him to the door for the room we had built for the babe. He held up the key and I nodded. He unlocked the door and it swung open silently.

He stopped in the doorway. “Why are there two cribs?” he asked, his voice low.

I whispered behind him, “You know how we talked of the possibility that I was carrying two?” I asked. He nodded, barely.

“The mage midwife confirmed it a couple days ago. Though I had already asked Blackwall to make a second crib just in case. Are you alright?” I asked, reaching out to him. His face was a mask of shock and fear mingling with something more.

“She's sure?” he asked. I nodded, nearly afraid of his reaction. He yelled and scooped me off the floor, swinging me around in the air.

“I never thought to even have one, Aurelia, let alone two! At once! Oh, Maker, we have no idea what we're doing!” his voice fell to a whisper with the last as he set me back onto the floor.

“Of course we do. We're not stupid people, Cullen. You command armies and well, I command you. That sounded so much better in my head. I'm ruining this,” I said, the words just tumbling out of my mouth. He shook his head, trapping my face in his hands.

“Two babies? Maker, this is beyond amazing,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to mine. I nodded, my hands holding his wrists.

“Do we have this, Cullen?”

“We, with the help of our big and well read family, most definitely have this, Aurelia,” he answered with a grin. I smiled then.

He kissed me then, this beautiful kiss that held a wealth of meaning. Promises and hope.

“This has been the best Satinalia ever, love,” he whispered against my lips. I nodded, and with another grin he drew me back into the bedroom, where he showed me how much he really enjoyed his day.

Twice.

A while later, we joined the celebration in the main hall. Story telling, eating a veritable feast and exchanging presents. Everyone staying up late, talking and laughing. Eventually a scout came into the keep, yelling for everyone to go see. 

We all went outside to find the night sky lit by brilliant purple and blue winter lights, swirling across the night. 

Cullen wrapped his arms around me, warning me as we all took in the rare sight. 

"Are you happy?" he asked softly, his breath hot in my ear. I nodded.

"I don't know if I could be happier," I answered honestly. He chuckled. "I have something for you," he said then. His hand appeared in front of me, a gold box in his palm. I took it and opened it. Inside was a ring with 3 keys on it. I looked up at him. 

"What's this?" I asked. 

"The keys to a manor house on some property the queen has bestowed upon us for helping her in Denerim. There are at least six bedrooms, and a large plot of land. It's ours when the time comes."

I turned in his arms. "A home?" I asked. He nodded. 

"You gave me a home, the least I could do was return the favor," he murmured. I smiled. 

"Thank you," I said, before kissing him. 

A home for a home.

2 babes and a future full of uncertainty and promises. 

And love. 

Satinalia miracles.


End file.
